No Eye in Cyclone
by ScorplinginTraining
Summary: With all the adults in his life acting like children, Ralph has to take matters into his own hands and reunite his family. Drastic times call for drastic measures.
1. Chapter 1

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: I will eventually go back to my other WIP, I promise. But I'm still having a hard time with inspiration for a funny, light-hearted story. I will get back to it, when that fickle muse decides to grace me with it's presence again. In the mean time, I've had this story brewing in my brain for a few weeks now. Tell me what you think and if you want to see where it goes.**

 **Those little reviews help motivate me. **As always, thank you for your feedback.****

 ** **oxoxoxoxoxo****

It had been three weeks since the colossal implosion of Walter's company. Well, in reality, his entire life. But he'd done his best to bury the more difficult aspects of his personal life in the back of his mind and concentrate on salvaging what was left of his business. It was only logical to focus his efforts on something that wasn't yet a hopeless cause.

That morning, he'd been expecting a prospective client, not his ex-girlfriend.

So when Walter looked up from the mountains of paperwork littering his desk and realized Paige had just entered the garage, the emotions rushed through him at light speed. Confusion. Elation. Frustration. Anger. Nostalgia. Longing. Heart-wrenching pain. It happened so fast, he was unable to hold on to any one particular feeling for long. And true to his usual pattern, he was inept at reading others to see if any or all of them were mirrored in her face or demeanor.

Paige stalked up to Walter's desk and slapped a piece of paper down. Anger then. It didn't take an empathetic genius to see it after all.

"Was this your idea? Did you put him up to this?" She demanded.

He couldn't help himself. He was merely regurgitating the lesson she'd attempted to teach him when they first began their working relationship. He gave her a patronizing half smile and replied, "Good morning to you too, Paige."

"Cut the crap!" She snapped. And people accused _him_ of being rude?

"I need to know w-where… what you've done with…" Her voice broke and tears momentarily filled her eyes. Sniffing and blinking impatiently, she recovered quickly and pinned him with a glare. "Where is my son?!"

"Has something happened to Ralph?" He blurted, unable to keep up the superior charade as alarm gripped him and dominated all the other warring emotions.

Paige folded her arms tightly across her torso, her face taking on a pinched look, but this time he could plainly see she was terrified under the rage. "You need to tell me. Now. What the hell did you do with him?"

Walter stood and came around his desk, holding up both hands in a show of mock surrender, hoping to calm Paige enough to get more information. "He's not here. Has he gone missing or something?"

"Don't pretend you're innocent. I don't buy it! This whole scheme screams 'Walter O'Brien'! Tell me how to find him or... or I'll call the authorities!" Her voice was starting to sound semi-hysterical in pitch.

"I haven't laid eyes on him since the day you walked out and took my entire team with you…," Walter retorted defensively.

Presumably alerted by the raised voices, Cabe picked that moment to intervene. He walked out of the kitchen area where he'd been making breakfast the last time Walter saw him. Setting his coffee mug down on the conference table, the older man said in his special, authoritative way that both diffused some of the tension and encouraged cooperation, "Hey. Take it down a notch, you two. What's going on with Ralph?"

The distraught mother turned to the Homeland agent and ran a shaky hand through her already tousled hair. She snatched the note from Walter's desk and held it out to Cabe. "When I went to wake Ralph up this morning, I found that on his pillow. And he was," She swallowed, "…gone. Just gone. I didn't know what to think. It's in his handwriting and it's addressed to me, so I figured he was probably plotting something with Walter," she explained, her voice sounding ragged with worry.

Cabe pulled his reading glasses out of the breast pocket of his jacket and perched them on his nose. "Let me see what it says."

The older man unfolded the paper, his eyes quickly scanning the content. "But this is gibberish. What's it supposed to mean? Is it some kind of code? Do you think someone took him?"

All the blood drained from Paige's face and her knees threatened to buckle.

Walter grasped her elbow, steadying her as she swayed on the spot. "We'll find him, Paige. I promise," His reassurance of her was automatic. He so effortlessly slipped back into the pattern of the past four years, instinctively wanting to make sure Paige was okay. He led her over to the couch and helped her sit down. "Cabe? Could you bring her a glass of water?"

"No. I don't need water!" She shook her head vehemently, "I need you to help me find my son!"

"Okay. Let me look at the note. Maybe I can make sense of it."

Walter took the paper from Cabe, closely examining the 'gibberish', and couldn't completely hide a smile.

"What? What does it say, Walter?" Paige prompted urgently.

"It will take me a few minutes to decipher it. But luckily I know exactly how to do it."

Staring at the strange symbols, Walter strode back over to his desk, already lost in the puzzle. He opened a folder on his desktop and began writing his own scribbles in the margins.

The Homeland agent stepped over to stand beside the Scorpion leader's work station. "Son, you may not want to write on that in case we need it for evidence," Cabe cautioned quietly, hoping Paige wouldn't overhear.

"Ralph wasn't kidnapped," Walter muttered back distractedly as he kept up his scrawling, "Unless it's possible to kidnap yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the upset mother asked sharply.

Walter briefly glanced in her direction. "It means he ran away. And he left us a list of clues telling us how to find him."

"But why would he do that?"

The genius chuckled a little, both amused and annoyed at Ralph's cleverness. "Because he's the smartest one of us and he's forcing the whole team to work together again to figure this out."


	2. Chapter 2

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: I think this is the first time I've written anything from Sylvester's POV? Tell me if you think I got it right.**

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

The day he'd stormed out, he'd vowed never to set foot in the garage. Ever. Again.

Or at least that's what he told himself when he started to miss it. Or when he started to remember the good times and began to lose the edge of his anger and indignation. Or when he considered where he could've ended up if it hadn't been for…

Sylvester certainly couldn't allow himself miss Scorpion let alone it's leader. Not if he was going to stay strong and sane and continue to be a valued, productive member of Team Centipede. Valued. Ha! Sometimes he wondered if he'd ever been fully valued at Scorpion. Especially on that fatal last day. Let you-know-who see if he could really replace ol' Sly with a computer.

And what's-his-face could even keep all the collectibles Sylvester had left behind in that miserable, tumble-down building when he blew out the door in such a hurry. Maybe it would remind Sly's stupid ex-boss of the awful things he'd said about immaturity. And the way he'd casually thrown Megan in his face.

So what if the love of his life had just berated the man and dumped him in front of a roomful of people? He had it coming. The jerk lied to Paige and snuck around with the first woman Sylvester found interesting for more than the two long years after he'd lost his wife. If the son-of-a-biscuit was any kind of friend, he should have _known_. It was an unspoken part of the bro code.

So, why was the human calculator pacing in front of the door of the place he'd sworn never to revisit?

Ralph. Plain and simple.

Sylvester loved Ralph and the boy had run away. All it took was one frantic phone call from the young genius' mother to get Sly to this point. She said she needed _everyone_ to help find him. Their _entire_ former team.

It wasn't like he was anxious about seeing Florence again or anything either.

Okay, he definitely was.

Because the last time they'd interacted he'd been standing there holding flowers and blurting out his feelings like a fool. And she'd felt sorry for him. Pity wasn't the sentiment he'd been hoping for.

Since then, the few times he'd been in the same room with her, he'd carefully avoided even glancing at her. It wasn't hard. She was so much shorter than him, he was easily able to look over her head and pretend she wasn't there. Pretend his heart wasn't trying to beat its way out of his chest and the tops of his ears weren't a flaming, neon red. Pretend he wasn't remembering the humiliating things his ex-brother said about him right in front of her. Pretend he didn't want to sink through the floor and disappear or blend in with the furniture. It was really difficult for someone of his size to be inconspicuous.

But there he found himself none the less. Ready to breach the dreaded threshold and see her again. Because of Ralph.

Halting his pacing, Sylvester took a deep breath and set a trembling hand on the doorknob.

Nope.

One more time around the alleyway and he could do this. He could face his former boss and one time friend. He could face the woman he'd been growing to love.

It was almost a relief when Toby unexpectedly threw the door open and loudly declared, "Look who it is. C'mon, Nervous Nelly. If you walk around the parking area one more time, it'll need repaving cuz you'll wear a hole in it. Get in here, will ya? We got a kid to find."

Sylvester gulped and whispered harshly back, "I don't think I can face it."

The shrink raised one sardonic eyebrow. "You've faced worse, big guy." He began to enumerate examples by touching the fingers of his right hand to the fingertips of his opposite hand, one for each harrowing point. "Plane crashes, radiation poisoning, bats, public speaking, tomato worms and let's not forget rhino poop… What's a little bit of crushing emotional tension when compared to everything else you've survived? Besides, you even out the numbers."

"No I don't. If I come in, there will be seven of us. That's hardly even. I should know," Sly argued with a hint of a whine.

"Let's put it like this. If you come inside now, _us_ outnumbers _them_."

With those words, the mathematician reluctantly allowed Toby to grab his shirt sleeve and tow him inside.

It was like a junior high school dance. Except he'd never been to a junior high dance as they weren't a requirement and even the thought of asking a girl to dance would've had a pubescent Sylvester breaking out in a cold sweat. But he imagined this situation was every bit as uncomfortable and awkward.

A tight-lipped, narrow-eyed Paige was sitting on the sofa by the door, glaring her disapproval toward the duo at the blackboard by Walter's desk. Walter held a sheet of paper in his non-dominant hand and was quickly jotting figures down with his left, the chalk periodically screeching in protest of his fast pace. Florence stood beside him watching closely. Once in a while, she would shake her head and halt his progress by clearing her throat and adding another number or symbol to the equation.

Neither seemed to take notice of the irate mother much less look up at Sylvester's entry. It was just as well. Since he might've barfed or exited immediately if they'd made eye contact before he could acclimate to the environment and the unwelcome emotions it invoked.

If it hurt his heart to see the two of them standing so closely to one another and working in perfect tandem, he couldn't imagine what Paige must be feeling.

His empathy caused another bout of nerves to twist his guts. He couldn't take much more. Everything about this sucked. Hard.

It didn't help that Happy was standing at the end of the couch, her posture aggressively rigid and hip-shot, jaw and fists clenched. It was a lucky thing looks really didn't kill or the bodies would be stacking up by the chalkboard.

Toby slouched in the chair beside his wife, seemingly unaffected by the tension emanating from the two women of Centipede, wearing his habitual smirk under his typical fedora. His eyes darted around to the various faces in the room, astutely evaluating.

Cabe was the first of Team Scorpion 2.0 to acknowledge Sly's presence. The older man looked up from his seat at the conference table, giving Sylvester a sideways smile and raising his coffee mug in a silent salute. Genuinely glad to see Cabe, the younger genius sent him a little wave and a tentative smile in return.

Filling with a melancholy nostalgia, it hit the mathematician all at once that Cabe was the first father figure he'd ever had who truly believed in him. Who actually _liked_ him for who and what he was. As team dad, he'd tried to be the voice of reason on that terrible night when Scorpion imploded and 'family' harmony became history.

Trying to distract himself from the memories making him long for the past, he studiously focused his attention on the equation being worked on the board instead, hoping to get lost in the numbers.

Wait. There was something so familiar about it…

The numbers drew him in. Pulling him almost involuntarily across the floor to the board. Toward the two people he least wanted to confront. Sly tilted his head and squinted at the work as Walter impatiently used his fingers to erase and correct two superimposed numbers.

"Stop," Sylvester couldn't help intervening. He remembered these calculations well. "I take it you keep coming up with the same numbers you started with?"

"Yes," Walter nodded tersely. "I can't make sense of it. We just keep coming back to the original problem no matter what factors we plug in."

"That's the intention."

"How do you mean?" Walter was frowning in confusion.

"Ralph and I were bored one day and we came up with this algorithm. No matter what, you always finish exactly where you start. Let me show you."

Sylvester took the chalk, the longest piece of course, from Walter's lax hand and changed all the numbers around, quickly worked through the problem and came up with the exact same equation.

"The rest of the note explained his intentions pretty clearly once I'd deciphered it all. He wanted us all here. He was very specific. Then he ended it with this equation. But what does it mean?" Walter ran a frustrated hand over his face, leaving a streak of chalk dust on his nose.

Across the room, Toby held up one finger. "If you don't mind a 'know-it-all' chiming in here…"

"Out with it, Doc," Cabe said. "This isn't the time to hash out the past. Right now, we all need to work on finding Ralph and bringing him home."

The behaviorist sat up straight. "I think Ralph-y Boy is trying to tell us to go back to the beginning."

"The beginning of what?" Happy sneered.

"Of Scorpion, I'm assuming," Toby answered, shrugging blithely, as if it should be plain.

"That's here, isn't it?" The mechanic inquired patronizingly, "And I'm assuming you knuckleheads already searched the premises? And tried tracking his cell phone?"

"Gee, I wish I'd thought of that," Walter threw in, his lip curled with disdain, "But genius that he is, Ralph didn't take it with him when he ran away. My guess is, he probably knew we'd try that first. And yes, we did a thorough search of the garage. No trace."

Happy thrust her chin out belligerently.

Before she could deliver a blistering retort, Sylvester, who was staring at the board, deep in thought, interrupted the exchange. "But if you pull out the numbers that weren't part of our original algorithm…" He busily erased everything unrelated to the game he'd used to occupy the youngster on a rainy afternoon after school almost four years previously.

"What do these numbers signify?" The enthralled mathematician muttered to himself. "They aren't coordinates. Not enough for a phone number…"

"What about the letters on a phone's dial? Do they spell something?" Cabe asked.

Nodding absently, Sylvester mentally ran through the all possible combinations of letters. "Nemo's. I'm pretty sure he wants us to go to Nemo's."


	3. Chapter 3

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: Life has been crazy. Reviews motivate me to keep going. Thanks!**

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

The whole ordeal was like watching a farce.

If it wasn't so completely, painfully dysfunctional and sad on a personal level, he might've found it amusing. Or at least diverting in a clinical sense.

Toby only wished he could be a non-biased third party and observe it all objectively. Unfortunately, he was about as involved as it was possible to be. From the middle of it all, he could plainly see what was going on. Every undercurrent. Every nuance. The problem was, he didn't have the first clue where to even start unwinding all the tangles of emotional spaghetti twisting around the room. It was reminiscent of that psycho Collins' dental floss maze.

Happy and Flo were toe-to-toe, two compact little dynamos, sniping at each other about who didn't want to share the same planet with whom, let alone ride to Nemo's in the same vehicle. It was fascinating that Florence didn't show any fear markers. Most people, himself included, quailed in the face of his wife's fury. Perversely, he was also turned on by it. What could he say? He'd always enjoyed baiting the tiger.

Sylvester still stood by the blackboard, no longer distracted by the calculations, wringing his hands together and shifting his weight from foot to foot, the distress clear on his boyish face as he watched the two women argue. He would occasionally take a shuffling half step toward what used to be his desk, a former safe zone for him, in a subconscious effort to put distance between himself, the combatants and Walter on their other side. His face was an interesting shade of pale green, so Toby knew he was fighting nausea as well.

Walter, who would typically be barking instructions, was pretending to be engrossed in his laptop's screen, studiously ignoring everyone so he could avoid interacting with Paige. Paige, who would normally step in and make everyone listen and work together on the ultimate goal, was staring at Walter thinking no one noticed how much she was yearning for her ex to interact with her on any level.

Without exception, all the geniuses present had regressed since Waige went to Splitsville and that fateful fiasco which was Scorpion's disbandment.

Happy's hair trigger was back in full force. Her anger elevator hung somewhere between floors nine and ten on a good day. On a bad day, it shot through the roof and into the stratosphere with the tiniest perceived provocation.

Sylvester's anxieties were rearing their ugly heads more frequently and with more intensity. Just as one would begin to abate another would pop up in a different place. Not unlike a prairie dog town. Which often left the resident behaviorist to play 'Whack-a-Mole'.

And now that Toby could freely study Walter again, he could tell his former boss was busy shutting himself away behind a wall of arrogance and detachment. The shrink could practically see the man's amygdala shriveling from lack of use.

And the monkey on his own back was rapidly evolving from manageable marmoset to rampaging gorilla. The inability to betray Happy's trust was the only thing keeping Toby from dashing to the nearest book maker or dog track. But the temptation grew every time she unleashed her growing temper on him.

In the end, Cabe was the one to step in and play the diplomat between the warring factions. Toby could tell his patience was fraying, but so far he was handling it admirably. Self control was a hallmark of the Homeland agent.

"Let's everyone take a breath here," Cabe barked, coming to stand between Happy and Florence. "Aside from this morning's drama, we can agree Ralph had no part to play in recent events. Everyone here cares about him. And the only thing he's asking us to do is cooperate for a little while. I don't think it's too much to ask. No one is going to be contaminated if we ride in the same car. We can all fit in the SUV."

"True," Walter piped up, proving Toby right about the pretense of inattention, "But in this instance it might make more sense for us to go separately in case we have to split up at some point. It would be more efficient if we didn't have to return to the garage first. Let's divide according to team lines."

Plus that suggestion would give the ultra-genius a few additional minutes to employ the same 'Triple-A' principle he'd used when Tim and Paige were dating. It was one more way to distance himself. Toby shook his head. So utterly predictable.

"I disagree. I believe Ralph would want us to stick together no matter what," Paige interjected, her chin raised defiantly even though Walter wouldn't look at her to notice.

Cabe shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Even Job didn't have the patience for some things. "Everybody get your asses in my car."

"Well said, Cabe," Toby agreed, trying to initiate a slow clap. It failed epically when no one else joined in. At least the seating arrangements in the Suburban would be gratifyingly awkward fun.

When Toby strolled out of the garage, Sylvester and Happy had already crowded into the back seat in an obvious effort to avoid sitting next to Florence, each having individual reasons. They'd piled Happy's tool box and Sly's laptop on the seat between them in case there was any question of having room for an interloping passenger to sit next to either of them.

Flo was seated in the middle row pressed against the driver's side window. Her posture was rigid, her arms were folded tightly across her narrow frame, her lips were compressed in a thin line and her nose was pointed skyward. Everything about her body language quietly screamed, "Leave me the hell alone!"

After casting a pleading look at her Centipede coworkers, which they pretended not to notice, Paige sighed, clambered in and sat in the middle seat… as far away from Florence as it was possible to be, leaning so much toward the door she might've tumbled out if it weren't for her seat belt.

In the past, the shot gun position would've been reserved for Scorpion's fearless leader. But as all former tacit agreements were currently rendered null and void, Toby snagged the rare opportunity and scrambled into the front seat beside Cabe, shutting and locking the door after him.

Leaving Walter to hesitate outside the vehicle debating.

First he tried the passenger door. Then finding it locked, he knocked on the window and met Toby's amused gaze. The shrink just shook his head and mouthed, "You snooze, you lose," before shrugging and grinning while 197 frowned and made a noise of disgust.

Since neither Paige nor Florence would scoot toward the other and Happy and Sylvester were unwilling to give any quarter even to an ally, Walter was forced to practically crawl over Paige and settle, uncomfortably, between the two women in the middle. All three passengers in the middle seat were attempting to make themselves as small as possible so they wouldn't be required to touch the others. Eye contact was strictly forbidden.

Toby flipped the visor down so he could watch them in the mirror. He started softly singing, 'Torn Between Two Lovers'. Until Paige caught his eye in the mirror and glared daggers at him. Oops. He 'forgot' she had a love for the oldies.

Oh, well. Turning corners was about to become the best thing ever.

When they pulled into the parking lot at Nemo's Diner, Cabe announced into the oppressive silence, "It's closed."

Ordinarily one of the geniuses would've picked up on that fact first, but they were all busy not looking at or touching each other. And Toby was too busy watching them not looking at or touching each other.

A sign on the door said, 'Excuse our Mess. Closed for Renovations'. "More like due to Health Department violations,' Toby muttered to himself as he hopped out to peer in the front window.

Bingo.

On one of the tables, he saw a house of cards with a couple of books next to it.

Returning to the SUV where Walter and Happy were climbing over people and jostling for position by the door while they bickered over who should go with Toby to investigate, the psychiatrist interrupted by saying, "We gotta get in there. It's obvious Ralph's been here."

Paige uttered a little gasp.

When Walter whipped around instinctively to check on her, Happy pushed around him. Jumping to the ground, she said, "See? I'm the one who should've gone with Toby. I can get us in there. No problem."

"We should park around back and go in through the kitchen," Paige contributed.

"You're right. That'll be less obvious. Good thinking," Walter nodded his approval.

"I might not be a genius, but I can have a good idea once in a while," Paige snapped back.

Walter's biting reply of "I never said you couldn't" was muffled when Cabe slammed the door and drove the SUV around back.

Happy made quick work of the lock and soon the whole gang was gathered inside the restaurant.

Everyone rushed over to examine the house of cards. Florence reached out to take a card from the top level, but Toby stopped her with a hand on her arm which she quickly snatched away.

There were two books stacked on the table. Both of them were psychology texts about group dynamics and trust building. On the top book lay a single playing card.

A joker.

"This message is for me to interpret," Toby said soberly.

"How do you know?" Paige demanded sharply.

"Well, I believe Ralph is trying to tell us the house of cards represents Scorpion. A structure that he thought was solid, but collapsed around him," Toby choked a little on the rest, "The joker? That represents me and how all my training and my fancy degree didn't prevent its collapse."

 **AN: I get it. We all have our favorite characters and we are defensive of them. But before I get flamed for Toby bashing, I'm not. I love Toby. I have a little Toby in me. Maybe I'm not as ballsy, but the snark is there all the same. In this story, Ralph is planning to take _everyone_ on the team to task before it's all over as they _all_ bear some responsibility in that crap pile of a series finale and in the demise of Scorpion. He's also going to find ways to use their unique skills before it's all said and done. **


	4. Chapter 4

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

"That's amazing. Very insightful," Paige said bitterly, bombarded by a sudden crushing wave of disappointment. "But it still doesn't give us a hint about how to find my son."

She slouched into a nearby booth, rested her elbows on the table and dropped her forehead into her hands. She was honestly exhausted.

She was tired of pretending everything was okay. Tired of acting excited about starting Centipede. Tired of the effort it took to stay mad. Tired of dealing with a sulking teenager. Tired of acting like she didn't miss Walter and what they had together and the family they built together. Every. Single. Second.

Paige didn't catch everyone exchanging glances as the echoing silence fell and she only vaguely heard Walter quietly instructing everyone else to take a look around for anything that would give them more information. She was barely aware of the rest of them moving about the room, rummaging around for clues.

She didn't look up until she sensed someone near her. He didn't touch her, but Walter crouched down beside her and said bracingly, "Try not to worry, Paige. Ralph is a genius. He's fine. And we _will_ find him."

"As you're well aware, being a genius doesn't make you invincible." She groused.

When Walter started to get up, she placed a hand on his arm. He stiffened momentarily just like he used to when they first met. Paige hated what that reaction implied. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you of putting him up to this. The truth is, it's mostly my fault. And I should've seen this coming. I'm going a little crazy knowing that."

"There's no way you could have predicted this. It's my understanding all teenagers are challenging in some way or other. I think genius teenagers tend to be even more so."

Paige's teeth sank into her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. It would be so much easier if Walter would blame her and call her out on her behavior. He was killing her with the compassion in his expression and his genuine concern for her and her son in spite of what she'd done. She felt the need to explain. "Ralph has taken all this so much harder than anyone else. He hasn't been himself for weeks. He wanted to reach out to-to you… and I wouldn't let him. I was still so mad, you see. I forgot to do what was best for _him_. I forgot he's my most important thing," she whispered, her eyes haunted, "There's no excuse."

"All parents make mistakes. Overall I'd say you've always been an excellent mother and I'm going to make sure you have the chance to get it right next time, okay?"

As Walter got up and strolled away to join the search, Paige thought she ought to have extended the same courtesy to him. But should she have given him yet another chance? She'd given him so many already.

They both had a lot to answer for and to work on, that was for sure. Being apart didn't seem to be working out so well for either of them, but was she willing to go back to where they were before if given the chance? Paige just didn't know.

"Hey! I think I found something," Sylvester called out from over by the lunch counter.

"What 'cha got, Sly?" Cabe asked.

"Well, I remembered on the day we met, Paige and I had a conversation about what Ralph might be thinking. We talked about this flashlight." The human calculator held up the light he'd plucked from its holder on the wall.

"I found another card," Happy cried from over by the chalkboard. She peeled it off the underside of a table and waved it in the air.

While she was bringing it over to Paige, Sylvester held the flashlight down so everyone could see the lens. It was covered with what looked like purple and blue cellophane tape.

Walter was approaching the mathematician when an informational leaflet under the salt and pepper shakers caught his eye. "There's something here too."

Momentarily forgetting their differences in pursuit of the answer to the puzzle, the geniuses gave the items a once over before placing them on the table where Paige sat. Then as one, they returned to the search, finding a half dozen more playing cards in various spots around the room.

Paige spread them out in a row, examining each in turn and wondering exactly what her son was trying to communicate. Deciding it was best left up to the geniuses, her eyes tracked them as they hunted.

When the group was satisfied they'd found all the clues in the room, they brought everything together then formed a semi-circle around the table. As one, they stared at the various items.

Toby slid into the booth, taking the seat opposite Paige. He was the first to say something. "Well, it's not a poker hand. Or not a winning one, at least."

Sylvester raised his hand.

"We're not in school, son. Just speak up," Cabe reminded him gruffly.

"Sorry. Cartomancy happens to be a large part of Fantasies and Frolics. I might be able to tell you what the cards mean, at least. See? Sometimes being an immature child has its uses." The younger man cut his eyes briefly in Walter's direction.

Walter shook his head impatiently. "You know I was only…"

"Not the time, folks. Save it for later," Cabe stopped him mid-sentence. "Just tell us what they mean, Sly."

The Homeland agent was scanning Paige's face. She felt like she was on the edge of collapse. She must've looked the part too. In that instant, all she wanted was to fix everything for Ralph's sake.

The mathematician hesitated for a few seconds. "The Queen of Hearts… She, um. She is the ideal of love. She's considered the expert on it. But she's often doomed to disappointment in her own experiences because actual love isn't ever perfect enough."

Collectively, everyone turned to look at Paige while the shrink subtly slid the card toward her.

"What?" She snapped, feeling very conspicuous. When everyone kept staring, she picked up the card and added, "Okay. I get it. I sometimes have impossible standards. I… expect too much. It's because I've been let down a lot in my life. Alright?"

Paige waved her hand toward the rest of the cards. "Keep going. What do the others mean?" She was relieved when the focus returned to the other cards.

"King of Spades," Sylvester cleared his throat before continuing, "…um, represents an authoritative male whose need to be right or in control creates trouble in friendships or relationships."

Everyone's heads swiveled in Walter's direction.

"Hmmm. I wonder which arrogant jerk that might indicate…" Toby drawled with a mocking smile and raised eyebrow.

Happy cuffed the back of his head, knocking his hat askew. Ignoring the reprimand, he straightened the fedora and laid one finger on the face card.

Before he could slide it toward the appropriate person, Walter snatched it off the table. "It's obvious he means me, isn't it. I'm a lousy friend and-and, uh, boyfriend. We all know this. It's a fact. I've heard it all my life. Apparently I'm insensitive, rude, unappreciative. And we can't forget stunted and unable to improve." His jaw jutted forward stubbornly as he gave a challenging look to those surrounding him. "It isn't like I'm proud of it."

Paige couldn't miss the hurt she heard underneath the contentious tone. She automatically started to reassure him, but Sylvester picked that time to continue with his analysis.

"Oh, uh, three of hearts…" the human calculator flushed, "…um, represents a third wheel that comes between friends or-or uh, lovers." His attention was completely fixed on the card. He refused to make eye contact with anyone.

Happy snorted and rolled her eyes as Florence reached out and took the card meant for her.

"Clearly he means me," she said in her odd, dispassionate, staccato way, "Even if it isn't my fault what people dream. Just as I can't prevent my emotional response to being included in a group of friends for the first time in my entire life. I've done nothing but reevaluate my part in this whole disaster for weeks. There was no need for Ralph to point it out. What isn't immediately obvious is how much I blame myself for everything. I regret any part I played. I guess it doesn't matter that my feelings were fickle and fleeting and not at all what I first perceived them to be. My hasty words had a devastating effect on more important… um, friendships." Her eyes filled and darted momentarily to Sylvester before they dropped their focus to her feet. "I guess saying I'm sorry again is redundant and pointless…" Flo's voice trailed off in a whisper.

Paige reached over haltingly and squeezed Florence's hand. The chemist seemed so fragile and lost, she couldn't help herself.

Sylvester gulped and stood frozen, his eyes locked on the top of Flo's bent head until Happy nudged him with her elbow, "We're killing daylight here. Moving along."

"Oh, um… ten of spades. Well… that represents worry, anxiety or-or grief that may hold you back or make you blame others for your own… f-failings."

Walter and Sly exchanged a glance packed with unspoken words.

With all eyes on him, the youngest genius in the room reached for the card. "Guess this one's mine, huh?" Sly laughed uncomfortably. "Ralph knows us pretty well, doesn't he? I wish I could be braver. I'm still a work in progress. Maybe I _should_ take a little more responsibility for my part… If I had just…"

Walter clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "I've always said you're the bravest one of all of us. We've all made lots of mistakes."

Sly looked slightly mollified. The two of them gave each other half smiles before letting their attention return to the matter at hand.

"Talk about making us put all our cards on the table, and not just figuratively," Toby muttered under his breath. "That kid is a genius or something…"

Sylvester frowned down at the remaining cards. "Queen of Spades…," he began then stopped short, flashing a nervous glance at Happy.

"Oh, spit it out, already. I can take it," the mechanic grumbled.

"Don't hit the messenger," Sly responded firmly before continuing, "Queen of Spades is… uh, often unreasonable and angry. She manipulates others with her temper… and can be unforgiving when others make mistakes."

Everyone stood stock-still waiting for the explosion.

It didn't come.

"If the shoe fits…" was all Happy said as she took the card.

When no one spoke, she shrugged, "What? I know I can be a jerk sometimes. And I know things went too far that night. I was just really frustrated because someone I care about shoulda listened to me, but decided to be stupid and stubborn instead." She looked pointedly at Walter, "I knew it was wrong to walk out on family like that. But I did it anyway. If it helps, I've been kicking myself pretty much ever since."

Toby rubbed his hands together almost gleefully and glanced up at Cabe. "I guess you're next, old man."

"Not quite," Sylvester contradicted.

The shrink looked confused. "There's only one card left on the table. I was the Joker, remember?"

"You only guessed part of the Joker's characteristics."

"Uh, oh," Toby cringed. "Let's have it."

"In Fantasies and Frolics, the Joker doesn't just mean a fool. He's kinda like Loki in Norse mythology. He enjoys making mischief and will sometimes cause drama on purpose because he likes to watch it unfold or draw attention away from his own behavior. He, uh, is also known to kick others when they're down."

The psychiatrist's demeanor was no longer teasing. "Wow. I guess that pretty much nails it. Most of the time I really do _try_ to give good advice. Not that some of you ever listen to me. But I can admit I sometimes like to create a little havoc. It's almost like research. It's not intentional. All the time, anyway. And maybe I shouldn't have turned the knife and been so quick to say 'I told you so' when everything was falling to pieces. Guess that kinda sucked a little."

It was a rare thing for the doc to be contrite, especially with Walter. "Sorry I was such a pip," He said looking at his former boss.

"I've said before I-I want to be a good friend and not drive people crazy. I don't often succeed. But I do try… For what it's worth, I do listen to you. I just don't always take your advice when… I should."

Everyone lapsed into silence again, each trying to process the hard truths being spoken.

Until Cabe cut through all the quiet contemplation. "Okay, Sly. My turn. Let's have it."

Sylvester picked up the last card and examined it closely, "I thought there was a difference in the thickness. This is actually two cards stuck together."

"I hope I'm not getting a double whammy." The Homeland agent looked a little ill at the prospect.

"Hey, can't be any tougher than ours," Happy said.

Sylvester used a fingernail to peel the cards apart. "Well, the bottom one is the King of Hearts. Boy, Ralph's being easy on you. The King of Hearts is an influential, affectionate man. He's like a father figure. The other one is the deuce of clubs which is a reminder of the importance of communication to avoid confrontations and disappointment."

"Is he saying I need to be reminded to communicate?"

"No," Toby interjected, "Since you drew the daddy card, I think he's saying it's your job to remind us to communicate. To keep the channels open."

As one, everyone nodded.

"Don't get me wrong," Paige said, "all this soul searching is great and everything, but we are still no closer to finding Ralph." She sighed. "Any ideas about that?"

"There's still two clues left," Walter stated.

"Great. A pamphlet and a flashlight." The weary mom rolled her eyes skyward.

"Not just any pamphlet," Florence picked it up and studied it. "It contains information about scorpions. Specifically how they glow blue-green under an ultraviolet light because of a couple of enzymes they secrete after shedding their exoskeletons. And I think the flashlight lens is covered the way it is because he wanted to make a black light. If I'm right, Ralph is telling us to put a phosphorescent chemical substance on our individual cards and look at them under the flashlight."

"I'm fresh out of phosphorescent chemicals," Paige answered sarcastically, throwing her hands up.

"I could probably whip something up," Florence offered. The chemist blinked at the others for a few seconds before turning on her heel and heading toward the kitchen.

They all watched her go until she disappeared through the double swinging doors.

"I think I'll go and see if she needs help. With, uh, the calculations or something," Sylvester suggested meekly. He turned tail and trotted after her.

 **AN: BTW, I had a list of cards and what they mean. Of course, opinions vary from site to site. Strangely, I only had to alter the meanings a little bit on a couple of them. Some of them are word-for-word. Any variations on meanings, I'll tell ya it's because it's unique to the Fantasies and Frolics universe.**


	5. Chapter 5

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: In this chapter, I wrote from two POVs I've never done before. Tell me if you think I did 'em justice.**

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

Florence knew it was irrational to feel nervous just as she knew it was erroneous for Sylvester to assume she needed help with calculations or anything else regarding chemistry. Chemistry was second nature to her. For her it was often as easy and natural as breathing or blinking.

Besides, Sylvester was a genius. Wouldn't he be aware that any number of everyday substances phosphoresce under black light? Many of them would be readily available in a restaurant kitchen. It wouldn't be complicated to synthesize something. Especially for her.

So, she had no idea why he'd followed her.

Stepping behind a tarp that was liberally coated in drywall dust and dotted with spackling paste, Florence began systematically exploring the cabinets.

She was vexed to realize her hands were unsteady, because this was her wheelhouse. She was comfortable with chemicals, even the volatile ones. Due to the fact their reactions were at least somewhat predictable. Unlike humans.

She jumped when Sylvester peeked around the tarp and cleared his throat. "Um, Flo?"

"It's Florence," she corrected automatically without looking away from her task.

"Yes. I know. Sorry. But… will this work?"

He dodged around the plastic curtain, careful not to touch it. She glanced at him briefly from the corner of her eye. Somehow it didn't seem as… uncomfortable if she wasn't viewing him directly.

He was holding up a box of powdered milk.

Florence turned, gave one terse nod and plucked it out of his hands, keeping her focus fixed on the box. She hadn't realized how close he was standing. There wasn't a lot of space, and he seemed to be taking up most of it. "Yes. It should work nicely. Once mixed, it will glow a pale yellow. I will utilize the spray bottle I found in one of the cupboards…"

Sylvester placed a hand on her shoulder presumably to halt her stream of words. The warmth of the gesture ironically caused her to freeze and momentarily forget what she'd been explaining.

They stood there breathing for a few seconds until curiosity overcame embarrassment and her gaze slowly drifted up his torso to hover somewhere around his chin. He dropped his hand, and Florence found she missed the contact. Not many people touched her, at least not on purpose.

He pushed his glasses up into place with one finger, swallowed hard and stood up straighter. "I-I came back here to… I knew you didn't really need my help…"

A short, uneasy laugh escaped her lips. "Ha. I figured you would know that many substances…"

"Please let me say this," he interrupted before she could finish her thought. "I need to apologize to you before I chicken out."

Her eyes flew to his. "But… why would you apologize? I don't see the need… I mean, perhaps I should be the one to…"

"No," Sly answered firmly, bringing her up short, "You have nothing to apologize for. Not to me anyway. I should've… told you sooner. I should've told both you and Walter how I felt. Neither one of you picks up on other people's feelings all that well. I knew that, so I shouldn't have hung back or tried to be subtle. With either of you. I was just s-scared. I haven't felt that way since Megan."

"Yes," She agreed shortly and wondered if she was being too blunt.

When she hesitated, trying to think of an appropriate addition to her reply, he continued, "I could've been honest. I think it would've prevented some of the fall out. And I know I inadvertently caused Paige and Happy to have harsh feelings toward you. I didn't want that, trust me."

"Actually Paige has harbored resentment toward me since Christmas and the, uh, revelation of the dream," the little chemist answered softly. "Happy was only being protective of her team. And rightly so as it turns out. Look what happened. If I had never moved in… I should've known not to go to that lecture, but I really didn't consider…"

"You can't help how you feel or who you fall for. I should know."

"He doesn't care for me, you know. Walter, I mean. He never did beyond our mutual interest in science. And I believe I only developed a foolish crush out of respect for his intelligence and his opinion of mine… and of course that imprudent dream of his made me think about it in the first place. Regardless, he never returned those feelings for me."

"Believe me, I sure can relate to that." Sylvester flashed her a rueful, sideways smile.

They stood stiffly, side by side, engulfed in a heavy silence. Until it finally dawned on Florence to what Sylvester must be referring. Her eyes widened in her elfin face. "Oh, no. No. It was never my intention to hurt you in any way. The thing is, I _do_ care for you. I really miss working with you and laughing with you and hanging out with you. I miss being your friend. I've never had many. I'm very comfortable around you. That almost never happens. And who knows? If I had realized you had an interest… It never even occurred to me…As you said, I'm fairly blind to the feelings of others…"

"I'd like to be friends again. But if you ever want to be more than friends, I'd like that even better," a grinning Sylvester finally admitted.

Florence flushed pink. She blinked rapidly a few times and gave Sylvester a shy, fleeting smile. She slipped her small hand into his big, warm one and their eyes met and twinkled at each other. "I think it's possible I might like that as well."

"What the hell is the hold up back there?!" Happy bellowed from the dining area, "At this rate, Ralph will be eighteen before we track him down!"

oxoxoxoxoxo

When Ralph first approached him, Cabe had gently refused to help.

Baghdad was a hard lesson not soon forgotten. The Homeland agent experienced first hand what Walter would do when he felt betrayed and he was not keen to go through another fifteen years of estrangement from someone he considered his son.

Also, Cabe wasn't much of an actor. He was more of a straight shooter most of the time. What if he couldn't pull it off? Not to mention, it was deception that got them into this whole damn mess to start with.

It was Allie who eventually talked him around. Apparently he'd been going on and on to her about his fractured family and the idiocy of it all. Underneath all that bellyaching, she'd cottoned on to how worried he was. He'd forgotten how handy it could be to have a perceptive woman by his side.

After Centipede scuttled in and stole the Gettleman job out from under their former team's nose, Walter had begun to shut down. The man was muttering to himself when he thought no one was around in the same way he'd done when his sister had passed. Except this time, there was no Paige to help guide him through the grief and pain.

It couldn't go on. Enough was enough.

So, Cabe had joined forces with the kid to benefit the greater good. As it turned out, he shouldn't have been antsy about his lack of acting skills. No one noticed anything unusual because they were too wrapped up in their own stuff.

He felt a little bad about Paige's obvious fretting, but Cabe and Ralph couldn't come up with a better plan to unite the team and make them all see how invaluable each and every one of them was. How they were better off together.

It wasn't a minute after Happy hollered for them to hurry it up when Sly and Flo popped out of the kitchen.

The chemist was practically skipping. She looked happier than Cabe had ever seen her. Cabe was unexpectedly struck with the notion that Flo actually looked relaxed and… pretty in her own quirky fashion. Would wonders never cease? Whatever the kid said to her, it must've been really good.

"We will need it to be as dark as possible for this to work," Florence said in her unique, direct way.

"I don't think we can cover all these windows sufficiently," Walter mused, "We'll have to move somewhere that's more enclosed."

"There should be a walk-in fridge in the back. It'll be kind of a tight squeeze, but I think we can all fit," Happy suggested. She jumped down off the back of the booth where she'd been perched. Without waiting to see who would follow, she slipped her card into her leather jacket's pocket and strode purposefully toward the kitchen.

The others stood around for an instant looking at one another, then as one, they all filed after her. It appeared no one had a better solution.

At the last second, Cabe remembered to grab the flashlight off of the table. Bringing up the rear, he turned it off and on a few times to test it. Yep. Still in good working order. He should've known Ralph would think of every detail.

It was strange cramming seven people, half of whom had barely spoken to the other half in over a month, into a walk-in refrigerator. It certainly wasn't the weirdest thing Scorpion had ever done, but it was up there.

Cabe squeezed in last, almost shutting the door behind him, leaving only a small crack of light bleeding into the total darkness.

"Come on in. We're just chillin'," Toby quipped into the darkness.

"I can't breathe," Sylvester wheezed from somewhere near the back.

"You're going to be fine," Paige soothed, "Here, come stand nearer to the door. That way you won't feel so confined."

"Ouch! Get off my foot, dummy!" Happy gritted out.

"Hey! Watch those grabby hands!" Toby added.

"Sorry," Sly grunted as he crowded closer to Cabe.

"Stop it," Cabe said abruptly before things could escalate, "Someone hand over a card, will ya? I feel like a sardine in here."

"You kinda smell like one too. Or did you get into the beef jerky again?"

"Shut up, Doc, and show me your card," Cabe growled.

He clicked the flashlight on as Toby handed over the joker. From somewhere near his right shoulder, he heard the unmistakable sound of liquid spraying and he felt a fine mist settle over the hand that held the card.

Sure enough an image glowed yellow in the eerie light. It looked like a lance or something, a man and a 'G' in a circle with a diagonal line through it.

"What the hell is that?" Cabe asked, sincerely confused. Ralph had only told him there would be clues for everyone. He didn't say what they would mean.

Toby chuckled a little. "It's a pictograph. I think our first clue is the letter 'S'. I sometimes forget our little genius is an amateur psychiatrist like his Uncle Toby. See the spear and the little man there? In 1904 a guy named Charles Spearman came up with the two-factor theory of intelligence…"

"Give us the Cliff Notes version, Doc," his wife cut in.

"Okay, okay. Long story short this guy came up with the first method for measuring intelligence. He theorized there were two factors. The 'G' factor being general intelligence. And the 'S' factor representing traits specific to an individual. Like math is Sly's prominent 'S' factor. And what a big 'S' it is! Oof!" Toby stopped abruptly when Happy's elbow connected with his ribs.

She had dead aim even in the dark.

"And you're acting like a big 'S' right now," she grumbled, "Here, Cabe. Do mine."

Happy passed her card to Cabe and Florence squirted it.

There was a smile in her voice as the mechanic said, "Look. Mine's a 'Y'. See? He's drawn a WYE diagram for a three phase power connection here. It's sometimes called the star arrangement…"

"Now who's going on too long," Toby muttered.

"Here's mine," Sylvester shoved another card under Cabe's nose, clearly eager to get out of the cramped space.

Sly's turned out to be a series of what appeared to be random letters.

"Mine's 'V'," the mathematician quickly shared.

"How'd you figure?" Cabe goggled at the image in the dimness, unable to make heads or tails of the message.

Sylvester sighed. "It's pretty straight forward. It's an equation using Roman numerals. The answer is five. Which is a 'V'."

"Oh, well. That explains it," Paige mumbled sarcastically and Cabe was grateful for the other normal in the room. He'd missed having another clueless human around in the last few weeks.

Florence sprayed the substance on her card and held it under the faint beam emitted by the darkened lens.

"Hmm," she hummed to herself, quietly considering. "Well, it's clearly a single oxygen atom. So my clue must be an 'O' then."

"O-kay. I'll take your word for it. Next?" Cabe urged.

He felt the group jostle around and Walter's hand emerged, holding out the king of spades. Florence wet it with her solution and another message appeared.

"Oh, um… two potassium molecules? So it must be two 'K's for me then."

Walter's arm disappeared back into the dark.

"The normals in the fridge might need a little help with ours," Paige suggested, holding hers out.

"Why? Is it because you aren't playing with a full deck?" Toby threw out there.

The frustrated mom cuffed him.

"Ow," he whined. "Sorry. I've been sitting on that one a while. Continue."

"Ohhh," Paige breathed when her message began to glow. Sounding a little choked up, she said, "Mine's definitely an 'E'."

"Why is that?" Walter inquired curiously.

"Ralph and I used to play Hangman a lot when he'd have to come to work with me. We always started with the letter 'E' because Ralph insisted it's the most common letter in the English alphabet. You see here? The gallows and rope are empty and no letters have been guessed yet. The first guess is always 'E'."

"So what do all these clues come together to spell?" Cabe asked.

"You forgot to do yours, old man," Happy reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. Florence, do the honors?"

As the agent held his cards out to be sprayed, Happy spoke up, "I'll bet I already know what yours is gonna be."

"Yep. I'm betting it's an 'L'. Except I promised my wife I wouldn't gamble. Is 'L' what you're thinking, Sweetums?" Toby added.

Cabe chuckled. "Got it in one, guys. One of mine doesn't have a message and the other one's a picture of my absolute favorite character from 'Chair of Blades'. Her name is Elle and she's a bad ass warrior queen from a tribe of dragon hunters called…"

"But what does it _spell_?" Paige's question cut across his fan boy rhapsodizing.

The geniuses all replied in chorus. "Kovelsky's!"

"Of course it does," Paige sighed as they all piled out of the refrigerator.


	6. Chapter 6

NO EYE IN CENTIPEDE

 **AN: **Thanks so much to the faithful reviewers. You keep me at my keyboard!****

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

She was frankly surprised all of this crap wasn't royally pissing her off.

But she actually felt calmer and more 'normal' as the day and this stupid scavenger hunt, or whatever it was, went on.

Happy didn't want to ask her husband what those feelings meant, because she didn't want to hear how it was 'because they were back where they were supposed to be'. And 'the two of them might have been wrong to walk out'. Even though she'd acknowledged that same fact a couple of days after the whole fiasco went down. Things had gone way too far and a small, petty part of her wanted O'Brien to come crawling, begging them to come back. Acknowledging they were right and Scorpion couldn't function without them. Whatever. Happy knew better. Walt wasn't any more likely to beg than she was and he loathed giving kudos as much as he hated admitting fault.

On top of feeling a little too comfortable, she was busy admiring the hell out of the kid. In the space of a few hours, he'd done what no one else was able to do. Ralph had everyone owning up to his or her own personal pile of crap in the gigantic shit storm. Not to mention cooperating and working together as if it never happened.

The kid had guts too. He was getting some of his own back in the process. Demanding some power for himself in a situation where he was left powerless. Happy knew precisely what it was like to start to feel secure and have that security pulled right out from under you. She could also relate to getting attached to people who ran, walked or were forced out of your life.

Without exception, they all loved him. Sure. He knew that. But there was no doubt Ralph and Walt had something extra special. Something that doesn't come around every day and sticks around even when it's not easy. It was stupid of the waitress to believe a couple of weird uncles and a cool aunt could take the place of Ralph's choice for _dad_. Oh, and his grandfather, the big daddy of all of them, Cabe. Happy herself had missed the hell out of her old roomie.

Nope. Happy didn't blame Ralph one damn bit. The smartest one of them all was taking them to school. Again.

There was no arguing among them this time. They all climbed into the SUV, eager to get to Kovelsky's and figure this thing out.

Sly and Flo were trying a touch too hard to act casual as they scrambled into the back seat together. Toby settled in beside them. Probably trying to figure out what was up with the two of them. With that too familiar sneaky look on his face, he moved Sly's computer and his wife's toolbox to the middle seat. Joker. Yep, it fit like a glove.

Happy agreed it was about time for 'Mom and Dad' to be in close proximity for a few minutes, so she jumped in the front before either of them could beat her to it. No harm in helping Ralph out a little in the process. Her husband grinned and winked at her in the visor's mirror. He knew what she was up to and approved. A little bit of the non-verbal between partners is always a good thing. If he was closer, they would've done their patented no-look-high-five.

Walt and Paige paused and eyed each other for a half-second before getting into the Suburban one after the other. Happy didn't miss Walt lightly touching Paige on the small of her back before she settled in beside him, or the fact that neither moved the toolbox on the seat to make a buffer zone in between them. Instead, they sat shoulder-to-shoulder, still not looking at each other, but at least one wasn't pretending the other didn't exist or acting like the other was Typhoid Mary this time. So it was already an improvement over the ride to Nemo's.

Cabe was forced to park half a block down the street because the lot at Kovelsky's was packed. Cars lined both shoulders of the road as well. Were they hosting another wedding or something?

As the geniuses approached the restaurant, Happy spied Mrs. Kovelsky out front. The plump, apple-cheeked matron of Scorpion's old haunt held a tray of her famous kolaches and was passing them out to the crowd gathered outside by the glass doors.

When the lady saw them approaching, she beamed and called out, "There they are! My favorite customers. Come on up! See all the business you've brought me today?"

Huh?

When they met up with Mrs. K, she introduced the former team to the person standing by her side, "These are my most famous diners. They're heroes, you know. And these two," She indicated Happy and Toby by bending her head in their direction, "Got married right here in my parking lot. I'm thinking of advertizing it as a wedding venue now." The lady winked at Happy, chortling as if she hadn't told the very same joke every time the bride and groom had darkened her doorstep for the last year.

For the first time, Happy took a good look at the faces of the people milling around.

Wait. Was that…

The person beside Mrs. K was Captain Barrios, the pilot Scorpion had rescued from Bosnia years ago along with his wife and son. And there was Owen from the Zuma Beach rescue with his mom and dad. Wow, that kid had grown a couple of feet since the long ago Christmas Eve. And beside them were Zoe and Richard Elia. The church group of hikers from the forest fire was huddling together over by the entrance standing on tiptoes trying to see. There was the nuclear submarine dude, Happy was so stunned she couldn't recall his name at first. Ensign Nathan Hall. That was it. And on his other side was Tyler, Ralph's school friend, and his mother. Captain Cody Decker waved at them from the back of the throng and urged the squirming toddler in his arms, the one he and his wife named after Ralph, to wave too. Daniel and his mom were there and next to them Olivia Pearson was alive and thriving with her new heart, her grateful mother at her side…

One by one and family by family, people kept stepping out of the little greasy spoon diner that'd been like a second home to their team, all smiles and living reminders of exactly how valuable their work had been to each and every one of them.

Happy's usual stony exterior started to crumble as she was surrounded by people wanting to shake her hand or hug her or pat her on the back. People were struggling to get close enough simply to say 'thank you' or 'I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you'.

When Ada's father hugged her and told her they'd finally found a bone marrow match thanks to Walter's program, Happy lost it. Twin tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and she couldn't force words past the huge fist of emotions gripping her throat.

She was completely undone.

Happy felt Toby take her hand as Richard Elia stood on the top step by the door and whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. She gave her husband's hand a firm squeeze while everybody turned toward the billionaire tech tycoon.

"Hello, everyone," Richard greeted the assembly, "I'm so glad you could all make it here today. It's my understanding that a lot of you _couldn't_ be here today if it wasn't for Scorpion and their unique brand of brilliance. I myself owe my daughter Zoe's life to them."

A smattering of applause started in the back and grew louder as it caught on, until clapping, cheers and whistles filled the air. From the center of it, the noise sounded almost as deafening as a rock concert.

Happy cut her eyes up at her husband. Tears were welling and threatening to spill. His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed hard. When she didn't catch his eye, she started looking around for the rest of the team. Paige had turned on the waterworks and was leaning against Walter's shoulder, grasping at his hand. He was standing there open-mouthed and uncomfortable in the face of all that concentrated admiration. She lost sight of Cabe, Flo and Sly and figured they must have gotten swallowed up by their own adoring horde.

When the commotion finally died down, a grinning Elia said, "I think most of you are aware Scorpion's methods are sometimes unconventional and a bit on the extreme side. I've witnessed some of it myself… and I ended up with a bump on my head, a burned up rocket and a very dumbed-down version of my 'smart' building." He paused while his audience laughed. "But I've also seen first hand how these people have fought and run into fires and jumped out of planes for others. I know what lengths they'll go to trying and trying and trying and finally succeeding at saving everyone, no matter the odds. Because they just won't give up. And if they've done the same kind of thing for you or your family, you and I can only imagine what they would do for each other. That's the most humbling, the most admirable quality of all. The unrelenting faith, that absolute trust they have in one other. They're unwilling to give up. They'll take every risk, explore every possibility."

Applause swept through the crowd and washed over Happy, making her knees go rubbery. What the hell had they been thinking, breaking apart the way they did?

"As some of you know," Richard continued when it was quiet again, "I tried on more than one occasion to hire them. First Walter by himself. He set me straight pretty fast. Said he was happy where he was. Then I tried bribing him with a Ferrari. A little incentive couldn't hurt, right? Let him see the possibilities? Or so I thought. That was just before Happy dropped out of the ceiling and on top of my conference table and demanded I stop trying to poach her boss and break up the only family some of them had ever known." He chuckled and laughter floated up all around, "I observed how they worked together to save Walter, and I decided to give it another go. So, I tried to hire the entire team next. Once again, they turned me down flat. I finally did manage to get Paige to work for me for a few short weeks. She was as amazing as anticipated, but she went back to Scorpion because she was, get this, in love with her boss. Walter, not me," He was quick to add.

Laughter rose again from everyone except the members of Scorpion. Happy clenched her jaw, sniffing back the ridiculous tears blurring her vision. Was Elia ever going to shut up? He was killing her.

"Well, I could go on forever. But we're assembled here today to honor them, to thank them for risking themselves to save us and those we love. Scorpion? We have something for you. A little token we put together to show our gratitude for all you've done. Can you guys come up here, please?"

Aw, _hell_ no. Happy stayed rooted to the spot as if her boots had melted and stuck to the asphalt.

The crowd parted and Elia said louder, "Come on up here! Don't be shy."

Toby tugged on her hand and Happy's somehow found herself shuffling after him like a zombie. Every one of her teammates was astonished and as clearly unable to process as she was.

Richard handed Walter an envelope and urged him to open it. His hands were shaking so much, Elia had to take it back and open it for him. Walt withdrew a folded piece of paper, opened it and gaped at it. Happy glanced down at the document. Oh, fu… She thought a word that would have the waitress all over her like flies on her corpse. Because these people just killed her. It was the… it was the deed to the garage.

"Without that mortgage, you can afford to hire help or get more equipment to save even more people… He's speechless." Richard was joking. But it was the truth.

"I… I, uh, that is… w-we aren't… we can't…" Walter stuttered.

Paige stepped up and touched Walt's arm. He looked at her helplessly. Her smile was trembling, but she managed to say, "What he means to say is 'Thank you'. We're all deeply touched. We can never thank you enough," before she got too choked up to finish.

The crowd roared, and Richard leaned down to them and replied, "It was a small price to pay. What you gave back to everyone here was invaluable. They only wanted to show you how much they appreciate your efforts."

Happy somehow pulled herself together enough to mingle and thank people for their generosity and eventually say her goodbyes as they began to disperse. She was relieved when they were finally all gone.

The team stood in a cluster in the empty parking lot, collectively in a daze.

"We can't accept this," Walter was arguing with Cabe.

"You can't give it back," The older man insisted.

"B-but we're no longer a team. We can't divide up the garage."

"You were just given a pretty big reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together as a unit. You're a genius. Work it out."

Happy held out her hand for the envelope. She had to look at that deed one more time to convince herself it was real. When she slid it out, another smaller piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the ground.

"What's that?" Florence asked.

Sylvester bent, picked it up and studied it. "It's GPS coordinates."

"Where to this time? Is there a diner in this area of LA we haven't hit yet?" Toby asked.

Sly plugged the coordinates into his cell phone. "Apparently we're headed to Zuma Beach next."


	7. Chapter 7

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: The special guest in this chapter is dedicated to Earnie who looked for him at the Kovelsky's reunion.**

 **Happy weekend everyone!**

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

It wasn't like anyone called 'same seats' as the team once again clambered into Cabe's Suburban, but the silent troop claimed their previous spots as if someone had.

Paige didn't know how to feel. She was completely at sea.

Seeing all those people Scorpion helped had been both gratifying and at the same time shaming. Since they'd disbanded, the two separate companies had only competed for meaningless, if lucrative, corporate jobs. They could accomplish so much more than that… _Be_ so much better. Together. In the face of all the good they'd done, it was difficult to justify the trivial reasons behind their split any longer.

If she was having this much trouble, she could only imagine the depth of Walter's struggle to process. Compassion and empathy were rapidly overpowering the anger and resentment she'd been nurturing protectively these past weeks.

It felt so natural, so right, to slip her hand into his. Walter grasped it like a lifeline and automatically threaded his fingers through hers. She was sitting close enough she could feel the tension leave his body.

He was staring at their entwined hands, stroking her thumb with his. It occurred to her the two of them had held hands like this, like a couple, for the very first time on Zuma beach when they'd launched the rocket sending his sister into the stars.

"Are you okay? Are you still worried about Ralph?" He whispered after a while, unwilling to disturb the heavy hush in the air of the SUV.

Paige rested her head briefly on Walter's shoulder and whispered back, "I'm mostly fine. I'm pretty sure he's okay."

A half smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "Something tells me he may not be once you catch up to him."

She huffed a quiet laugh. "Oh, he's in big trouble alright. But I can't be too mad at him. He's made a few really excellent points. Some definitely more tough to take than others. Don't worry, his motives will factor into his punishment. Plus, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced he isn't working alone."

Walter sat up straighter, instantly rigid again. His eyes flitting to meet hers, he stammered, "I-I didn't… It isn't… I wouldn't…"

"Relax. I don't think it's you. I just know a twelve year-old kid would have a tough time putting all this together. Even if that twelve year-old happens to be a genius. Besides, I can tell when you're trying to be sneaky. You aren't very good at it."

He gave her a semi-offended look and raised an eyebrow in askance.

"Don't forget part of the reason we're in this mess is because you aren't very good at deception. I could tell something was going on with you for weeks."

Before Walter could say anything in return, the vehicle glided to a stop in a parking space in the beach's lot and the team began climbing out, keen to find and solve the next part of the riddle.

Walter didn't even notice, let alone react negatively about, the way Sylvester grasped Florence's waist to help her out of the car or the gooey looks the pair exchanged as he held onto her for a few extra seconds after her feet were firmly on the ground. Or that shy, flirty, coy 'thank you' the chemist threw at Sly.

With perfect clarity, Paige suddenly recalled Walter's jealousy each and every time Drew or Tim would pay attention to her. All those contemptuous little glares, his expressive mouth curling in disgust. And all the immature ways he'd shown his displeasure. Wow. For the first time, she could plainly see it. He had absolutely _no_ romantic interest in Florence. Like, _at_ _all_. Here was Sly, right up in his face, canoodling with Flo and he couldn't care less. Huh.

Paige felt like such a moron. Who was the jealous idiot this time?

She plopped down on a nearby bench and began to remove her shoes and socks. With all those realizations swarming around in her head, she almost didn't see Walter momentarily hesitate before sitting down at her side.

As he took his own shoes off, he emitted a nervous laugh. "Don't worry. I won't bore you with oceanography facts today. I'll restrict my remarks to relevant information about Ralph's whereabouts, okay?"

Paige was immediately suffocating under a crushing weight of guilt. Of all the unnecessarily cruel things she said to him, those words were the ones she regretted the most. All of his life people he cared about rejected him because of his brain, because he was different. She'd simply been the next one in a long line of others. Even after he'd shared his fear of her ultimately getting bored with him.

"Walter, stop." She laid a gentle hand on his arm, momentarily halting his fumbling with his shoe strings. "I'm really sorry I said that to you. It wasn't even true. All I can tell you is, I was angry and hurt and I wanted to make you mad and hurt you back. I was only retaliating. I'm _glad_ you're smart. I've always admired that. And I _like_ that you're different. Most of the time. If I ever expected you to be something you aren't, I was the one who was wrong. I was never bored. Okay?"

Paige hated herself for the uncertainty in his eyes when he shrugged and nodded. "Sure. Okay."

"What's the hold up, you two?" Happy snapped. "We need to wrap this up soon. I'm starving!"

"You'd better hoof it. My wife's picture is beside the word 'hangry' in the Urban Dictionary," Toby smirked as she punched him in the arm thereby illustrating his point.

Sylvester, Florence and Cabe were already plodding through the soft sand toward… Wait, was that a 'California snowman'? Yes. It was identical to the one Paige and Ralph had built one long ago Christmas Eve, down to the flower wreath around its neck and the floppy straw hat on its perfectly-shaped round, sandy head. She also thought it was on the exact same spot, as if wind and weather hadn't knocked down the original years ago.

Florence plucked the hat off the head, turned it over and examined it closely. Whatever comments she made about it were blown away by the ocean breeze before they could get to Paige.

When he reached Flo and the others, Toby wasted no time pulling off the head. He gave it a quick once over, then crushed it between his palms. When Cabe demanded what he thought he was doing, he answered indifferently, "What can I say? I'm a head shrinker."

After that, it didn't take long for the group to dismantle and investigate every grain of sand on that 'snowman', but nobody found anything useful.

Paige looked around at her circle of friends, noting their reactions ranged from baffled to supremely annoyed. "What now?' She asked, her own tone sounding frustrated in her ears.

Before anyone could offer a suggestion, Paige heard the distant rumble of an engine. Someone was swiftly approaching them across the beach on a quad bike.

As the rider got closer, she recognized him. Scotty! Oh, it was wonderful to see him again. Out of all the people they'd met on various missions, he was one of her favorites. They'd all grown close to the good-natured pilot on that island. Paige had been mildly disappointed she hadn't seen him among the crowd at Kovelsky's.

He braked hard, grinning as he lightly sprayed his Scorpion compadres with loose sand.

"Hey, man!" "Scotty!" "Great to see you!" "How've you been?" Everyone, with the exception of Florence whom he'd never met, greeted him enthusiastically and all at once until he held up his hands for quiet.

"It's great to see you guys again. Sorry I couldn't make it to the gathering at Kovelsky's a while ago. I heard it was quite the party. It's not that I'm not thankful for Scorpion's help back in the day, but I heard you guys were in some kind of trouble and I offered to help. This is my assignment. Seems like we're always meeting up on beaches somewhere, doesn't it?" He snickered at that, before continuing, "Listen, I know we're overdue for catching up, but I can't stay or I might be 'talked into helping you'. That's a direct quote." At the collective groans and arguments, he pointed toward the parking lot and quickly added, "My wife and baby girl are waiting for me in the car. We'll get together soon when we have more time. Hopefully somewhere a little less sandy? Right now you have another problem to solve and the clock's ticking. I don't want to be a distraction."

With that, he dismounted the four-wheeler and started walking away.

"But what is it? What's the clue?" Happy called after him.

He pointed at the bike and smirked. Then he waved heartily and strode off across the sand, throwing, "Have fun!" over his shoulder.

The focus instantly turned to the ATV. Well, all the geniuses' focus at any rate. Paige was still watching Scotty. His was yet another life Scorpion had saved by working together. They'd given a husband back to his wife, and a father back to his daughter. Of course, he'd risked himself to save Ralph too. And here he was, helping her son again. He wasn't the only grateful one on the beach that day.

Cabe grabbed the key, about to switch the motor off, when Happy yelled, "Stop! Don't do that, old man."

The Homeland agent slowly drew back his arm, looking puzzled as the mechanic patted the area over her heart in relief. "What is it?" He asked.

"There's a flash drive wedged in the middle of the engine. If we cut it off, it'll fall onto the manifold and melt. Check the fuel gauge."

"We have less than a sixteenth of a tank left," Walter estimated, "I'm guessing we have about an hour if the engine is idling."

"We could go get more gas from a store nearby," Sylvester suggested.

"Nope. If it stays running any longer than an hour, the drive will melt and warp anyway." Happy nodded. "Someone go get my gloves and tools out of the SUV. We're gonna hafta disassemble this puppy while it's still running. And we have less than an hour to do it or we lose the next clue."

"How are we supposed to do that?" asked Cabe.

"Very carefully. That's my guess," Toby replied unhelpfully.


	8. Chapter 8

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

CHAPTER 8

 **AN: This one's winding down, folks. Only another chapter or two left to go.**

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

The flash drive was uncomfortably warm to the touch when Walter handed it to Sylvester to plug into his laptop. They'd barely recovered it in the nick of time.

While the mathematician was extracting the information, Walter reflected on how fantastic it'd felt to work with his old crew again. Racing against the clock. Pushing the limits of their minds to come up with solutions to complex problems as time steadily ran down. This situation hadn't been life or death, but it'd been thrilling to watch and assist a genius mechanic disassemble a motor without shutting it off, cutting the power or jostling the drive further inside and melting it in the process.

There'd been high fives and good-natured ribbing all around when they'd pulled it off just before the engine sputtered and died. No one cared about differences or past arguments. The goal was the only thing on anyone's mind, making the victory especially heady and unifying.

Sylvester shrugged when the file finished loading. "It's a set of directions. But it doesn't appear to go anywhere and it back-tracks a bunch. Here, Walter. See what you make of it."

Walter peered at the screen, his brow furrowing in concentration. "You're right. The directions don't make sense. It's like they don't have an ultimate destination. They're disjointed. See here? The second step ends up on Sepulveda and the next one starts all the way over on Grant Street two blocks east."

The geniuses and Paige all started fiddling with their cell phones and pulling up mapping apps.

"I got nothin'," Happy complained minutes later, echoing the thoughts of everyone else.

"Hey, I've got a regular city map of the Greater LA area in the car. Would that help?" Cabe offered.

"Sure, old man," Toby scoffed, "While you're at it, grab your handy-dandy Dick Tracy wrist radio and your Ovaltine decoder ring."

"Very funny," The Homeland agent retorted, "Tech is responsible for dumbing the whole world down. So, I like a good old fashioned map. So what? Now, how 'bout I shove that decoder ring straight up your…"

"Wait," Walter cut him off mid-threat, "I think Cabe might be right. Go get the map. I'm also going to need a pen."

Leaving the dismantled four-wheeler forgotten on the beach, the geniuses made their way back to the SUV.

Cabe handed the map over and stepped away to make a phone call. Walter unfolded it and smoothed it out on the hood of the vehicle. Using a Sharpie Paige found in her purse, he traced the roads according to the directions on the computer. Walter grinned as the others instantly caught on to the latest clue.

Sure enough, the highlighted lines of the roads on the map boldly spell the words 'GARAGE' and 'HOME' in odd-shaped block letters. An 'X' sat squarely over the grid where the Scorpion headquarters was located.

"Even I can guess where we're headed next," Cabe said as he strolled back over to rejoin the group, "Everyone get in."

The ride back to the garage was diametrically opposite of the initial journey to the team's first destination of the day. Instead of acting edgy, tense and quiet, the whole crew rehashed the events of the day, discussing how gratifying it was to see the impact of their previous cases in the faces of those they'd saved and how great it was to work together again. They considered how much good they were able to do as a cohesive force. The general attitude was nothing could stop them when they were cooperating to achieve a common goal.

They talked about other times they'd learned the exact same lesson. The island came to mind as did the more recent softball game. They all agreed there were terms and disagreements yet to discuss, but it soon became crystal clear, as one, they were determined to find a way to reunite the family again. For the greater good, of course, but also for the benefit of the one who always brought them back together and made them see sense. Ralph. The smartest one of them all.

The sun was sinking toward the horizon as they drove home. It had been a long, emotional day. More than once a ravenous Scorpion member suggested having a long-overdue family dinner and round table discussion that night. As soon as they located Ralph, of course.

Walter was the first to notice the flickering images on the side of the familiar, square building as the SUV approached it from the alley, but one by one the others started to fall silent as they saw them too. Using the crumbling, graffiti-spattered side of the garage as a gigantic screen, pictures of the last four years flashed, paused and changed at regular intervals in a brash slideshow depicting life lived within the four walls of that structure.

The Suburban slowly rolled to a stop.

Mouths gaped and eyes widened as huge, colorful depictions of a Proton Arnold battle waged between Happy and Toby, as fake snow fell on a silly, gaudy Christmas sweater, as Sylvester stood proudly among stacks of game show winnings, as Cabe crawled out of a tent on the rooftop with a serious case of bed head, as cotton candy was made and shared between two people already in love, as a self-conscious Florence joined them at their latest Thanksgiving feast. Holidays, birthdays, milestones, Olympic competitions, an impromptu wedding, the memories marched haphazardly onward before misty eyes. Rockets launched, telescopes enhanced, burgers sizzled, marshmallows toasted, ferrets chattered, family laughed and danced and smiled and loved. Pictures representing all the 'mundane' events of any family scrolled on an endless loop as Scorpion watched, wistful, a little homesick and once again astonished. Apparently _a lot_ of living had happened behind those walls.

The shadowy silhouette of a boy, backlit by scenes of every important event in his life, emerged through the door, and someone whispered, "Ralph."

Paige said her son's name louder and more desperately as she climbed over anything in her path to get to that boy. She burst from the vehicle and sprinted toward him, catching him in a strangling embrace before grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him until his teeth rattled, then hugging him to her once again.

Walter exited the vehicle, his heart hammering. He followed closely after the anxious mother hoping to run interference for Ralph if need be.

"What were you thinking?!" Paige demanded when she was able to speak. She no longer had to crouch to be at eye-level with the teen, but she clutched his arm and bent slightly to meet his gaze dead on.

Ralph's answer was simply, "This." He pointed to the snapshots still flickering on the wall behind them.

"You know you're in big trouble, right?" His mother admonished sternly.

His eyes met Walter's. The boy genius nodded solemnly. "I know. But some things are worth risk and personal sacrifice. I learned that from my dad."

Paige and Walter looked at each other.

"Don't be too hard on him. It's not his fault," Walter defended his son, "It's mostly mine. It seems he always has to teach me this same lesson over and over. I'm not sure I would listen if it came from anyone else. Thank you again, Ralph."

As the group circled around them, Walter addressed them, "I guess I owe everyone another apology. I had no right to say the things I did. Moving forward, if you decide to give me yet another shot, I hope to do better at communicating how much I value everyone's role on the team… And more than that…" He choked up and had to clear his throat. "I want you to know I do realize I need you in my life. I depend on your friendship to keep me h-human…"

Cabe clapped a hand on Walter's shoulder. "What do you say we take this discussion inside? I have it on good authority we have a pizza party waiting for us up on the rooftop."

"You don't have to ask me twice. I'll gladly eat crow for my part in all the stupidity if I can stuff my face with pizza at the same time," Toby tossed over his shoulder as he almost sprinted for the garage entrance.


	9. Chapter 9

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: Hi. Before you throw stones, this is the second to last chapter. I know Paige and Walter have stuff to say to each other. It needs to happen without an audience, however.**

 **Walter apologized in the last chapter. (For all you Walter sympathizers like me, yes, he did need to say it. He did things that were wrong too and he has things to improve and make up for.) **That said, it's everyone else's turn this time. Next stop Waige.****

 **THANK YOU! to all my faithful reviewers.**

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

He'd spent every moment of the last few weeks angry, at least on some level.

He was mad at Walter for lying about Florence. He was mad at his mom for over-reacting, breaking up his family and starting a stupid competing company with the stupidest name he'd ever heard. He was mad at Sylvester for blaming Walter for Florence's feelings and his own cowardice. He was mad at Happy and Toby for giving up and walking away with no good reason. And he was mad at Florence for being the catalyst.

But mostly, Ralph was furious because he had no control over any of it. It wasn't his fault. But he was made to suffer the consequences anyway.

It'd taken some convincing, but he'd eventually managed to enlist Cabe and Allie's help. And everything had gone just as he'd predicted it would. He should've felt better.

However, as he sat between his parents and watched the smug faces around the table, yakking and congratulating themselves and devouring pizza, Ralph decided he was still plenty angry. Sure, he'd gotten them to acknowledge their faults and work together for the time being, but how long until the insanity happened all over again?

The longer he sat there observing, the more livid he became until he couldn't stand it another second.

Ralph slammed his soda can down on the table, stood up and said, "Hey! Everyone! If you can stop patting yourselves on the back for ten seconds, I've got something to say."

A sideways glance told him his mom wasn't happy with his attitude and he knew he was already skating on thin ice with her, but he couldn't help it. If he didn't say something, he felt like he was going to explode.

"Don't get me wrong. It's great and all, that we're back together. That you were smart enough to figure out what a thirteen year old was trying to tell you. But I always thought family was supposed to stay with each other. Stand together even when it's hard. Loved you even when you mess up. Or is that just in the movies? And if it is, why ever risk loving anyone at all? All of you express dislike for my father because he left my mom and me when I was little, but isn't that exactly what you did to Walter? To this family? Don't all of you always split up or quit and walk away every time you don't like something? I'm glad that all my manipulating worked this time, but what I'd really like to know is what are we going to do to keep this from happening again? I don't _want_ there to be a next time."

Ralph plopped back down into his seat, trembling with emotion, his eyes searching each dumbfounded face, demanding answers. His mom patted his knee, trying to calm him. It didn't work.

"Way to kill the party mood, kid…" Toby muttered, breaking the tense silence with a smart remark as usual.

Walter jumped in with a slightly more helpful comment. "You're right. Of course you're right. All I can do is promise to learn from my mistakes and do better…"

"It's not all on you, Walt," Happy spoke up. "The kid is talking to all of us. Toby and I messed up when we took off. We knew it nearly right away. It was our stupid, stubborn pride that kept us from admitting it and coming back. We kept waiting for you or someone else to make the first move. I know more than anyone how important this family is. Coming from someone who never had one growing up, believe me I _know_. You already said you need us, right? But the truth is, there would've never been an 'us' if not for you. I swear to remember that next time you pull some other dumbass move that pisses me off, okay?"

"Ditto," Toby added, uncharacteristically humbly, "I know I enjoy rubbing your nose in it a little too much when you're wrong. This time the tendency went way too far. I owe you, pal. And I want to be a good friend and not drive people crazy too. You aren't the only one. Maybe I'll work on listening and advising more instead of competing or gloating when I'm right. If I can conquer my gambling addiction for Happy, maybe I can do that for you and Ralph and the good of the whole family?"

"And me," Sylvester sniffed, "I don't know what came over me. I owe my _life_ to Scorpion… and to you, Walter. You were my brother even before it was made legal. All I can say is I'd been feeling so unappreciated and I was so upset with you, I forgot. I've come a long way from that scared kid in the hotel room all those years ago. Every one of you sometimes treats me as if I haven't changed at all. But I have. I have a law degree. I'm an elected official who's actually been able to do some good for my community. I just wanted you to see it. I wanted someone to acknowledge my progress, particularly Walter, and tell me you were… a little bit proud of m-me. Then when everyone kept building me up, telling me to take a chance on happiness… on l-love again, and Florence said…" Sly cut his eyes toward the chemist, "…what she said, all that resentment came to the surface at one time. Then Walter said all that humiliating stuff about me being a perpetual child… and I lost it. I'm sorry. It was uncalled for. I guess I should talk to one of you next time, when I'm feeling resentful, instead of letting it fester."

"I should've known. How-how you felt. I still struggle with that. But I will continue trying to improve if-if I'm able," He glanced over toward Paige, but she didn't meet his gaze, "And I, uh, should've told you. I _am_ proud of you. All of you. I can't do this without you. I know that. It wasn't my intention to make any of you feel under-valued. For instance, when I kept the bulk of the proceeds from Happy's winch design, I was actually worried about finances. We hadn't recouped our losses and we were still operating in the red. It was easier to justify investing the majority of it back into the business if I told myself none of you contribute very much. I was deceiving myself. Maybe I could start sharing my concerns about the company in the future instead of trying to take care of everything myself. It's hard for me to admit I don't always have everything under control. That I might need some help. But I will try. I can do that. For our family," Walter vowed earnestly.

For the first time in weeks, Ralph felt a little hope. That anger began to loosen its choke hold.

As one, they all turned and looked expectantly at Paige, making her squirm. She looked down at the hands in her lap. "My turn, I guess. It's like um, F-florence said. There's plenty of blame to go around. I'm the one who's supposed to have my finger on the emotional pulse of the team. I'm the one who is supposed to unite us. I'm the glue, right? Instead, I tore us apart. I said hateful things. And I wasn't satisfied with ripping it all apart. I was vindictive enough to have us start our own business. The Scorpion that pulled me out of poverty and connected me to my son was already crippled and I still wasn't happy. I wanted to destroy it totally. I knew I should've diffused the tension between you all and Walter. I chose to pour gasoline on the fire instead. It was the only way I could survive the… I had to keep the anger alive. Just to get through the day. It was selfish and unhealthy. For all of us. I… I was wrong. I'm terribly sorry. I know better and I _will_ do better."

Her eyes were flooded as she gave each person around the table a small, watery smile and a nod. Everyone but Walter.

Ralph's shoulders slumped. At least his extended family was back together and Walter was a part of his life again. That was something.


	10. Chapter 10

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: Happy Friday. Please review. It'll make my whole weekend.**

She was petrified.

Paige tried to give herself a pep talk as she loitered over washing dishes, drying every last drop of water from their surfaces and stacking them precisely in the cupboards and drawers. Things had become a little haphazard since Paige and Sylvester had been there. It made Sly nervous for things to be chaotic and organizing always helped calm Paige down.

Well, usually. Not that night.

She'd chosen to clean up in the downstairs kitchen, telling herself an orderly office space would help the negotiations go more smoothly while they were combining companies.

She was outright lying to herself.

In reality, she'd needed to put some space between her and the sight of Walter and Ralph, two dark heads bent together, in some intense discussion about satellite coordinates and communications. It was doing strange things to her resolve.

She was well aware she had things she needed to say to Walter. Important things. Paige never dreamed she would be the one to avoid an emotionally fraught conversation with the genius. This time, however, she couldn't quite drum up the courage. Part of her was terrified Walter would take the logical approach and want to go back to being strictly friends. Another part of her was just as scared he'd want to go right back to the way things were before. Living with either option wasn't acceptable.

But seeing him interact with Ralph never failed to make her weak.

When she'd finished straightening and restraightening the placemats and kitchen linens, she could no longer defend lingering downstairs. Everyone else had already left, and she needed to get Ralph home. It was a school night and since he'd skipped his classes that day, the two of them would have to show up early in the morning so they could suck up to his homeroom teacher. Detention was still likely.

Fabulous.

That would mean several more early mornings for them. Maybe she could ask Walter to drive him… Or maybe not.

Paige really missed sharing the parental responsibilities. It'd been a tremendous help, but she didn't want to be a _pretend_ family any longer.

Paige sighed wearily. Time to face the music.

She strolled through the office, dragging her feet a little, not eager for the inevitable conversation.

Glancing at her desk as she passed, Paige was grateful to note that Florence hadn't taken over her spot like Ray had. In fact, the arrangement hadn't changed much in the four weeks since the team had split.

It was incredible how much she missed glancing up from her work to find Walter's eyes on her. Or exchanging secret smiles or knowing looks with him. In fact, many things about working at Centipede felt wrong from the start. It was the same way during the time she worked for Elia.

And in an honest moment, Paige could admit it was because she missed everything Walter. Frankly, she was tired of being dishonest.

She slowly made her way up the stairs, pausing to take a bracing breath before entering the loft.

Paige spotted Walter immediately. He was sorting some extra components into tiny drawers in the organizer on his desk.

"Hey," she said softly, so she wouldn't startle him, "Where's Ralph?"

He bent his head to indicate the sofa. "Out cold," he replied with shrug and a crooked grin. "I guess all that scheming wore him out."

Paige walked into the galley kitchen, leaned her back against the counter and crossed her arms, giving him a wry smile in return. "I cornered Cabe before he and Allie left. They were in on it, you know."

"I kinda figured. I made it clear to Ralph I didn't condone his tactics, but… I couldn't help marveling at his cleverness. He always seems to know how to manage us, doesn't he?"

A loaded silence fell.

"Walter." "Paige." They started to speak at the same time.

"You go first," she conceded.

"I think you know what I want to say. I'd like to reiterate how sorry I am. I truly never had any ulterior motivation. I was… rather immature about… things, but I honestly never had romantic feelings for anyone but… you. I had no idea, uh, F-florence thought of me like that or I would've never asked her to go with me to that stupid lecture. I certainly didn't return her, uh, re-regard…"

Paige's mouth curved into a rueful smile. "Oh, I figured that out pretty quickly after Flo and Sly spent the whole day flirting and you didn't even bat an eyelash."

He frowned and shook his head, "They did?"

"You're making my point for me. But, yes, they did. I think flirting is all it is for now, but who knows…"

Walter shrugged. "Okay. Good for Sylvester…for-for both of them, I guess."

An uneasy sort of quiet stretched between them.

Paige cleared her throat. "I need to apologize too, Walter. I humiliated you in front of everyone and said some pretty harsh things to you…"

"Your temper can be a-a little fierce at times. Believe me, I've noticed. But I sensed you were being truthful at least. No white lies that time." His focus dropped to the floor.

"See, that's where you're wrong. Not the part about my temper. It can get ugly, I know. You aren't always tactful when you should be, but you don't often say cruel things with the express purpose of hurting someone. But that's what I did. One of the downsides to opening yourself up to someone else… of being in a truly intimate relationship with someone, is they know exactly how to hurt you. Unfortunately, that's what I did."

Paige bit her lip to stem an anxious flow of words. She refused to rationalize her behavior to him. He deserved the truth.

"So…so you really aren't tired of me? B-bored with my science lectures? I know you think we-we're too different. I'm too much for most people, Paige. I figured you'd had enough… of-of me." Walter sounded sincerely confused but she couldn't make herself look at him to read his expression.

"Our differences don't bother me as much as I was worried they would. No. I was hurting, so I hurt you. It's as simple as that."

"How…? Why would…? I would never..."

"I know you wouldn't. It's ironic, but that actually makes you a better human than me in some ways."

They went silent again while they both processed what was said.

"I read an interesting fact in the same ladies' magazine I used to learn about how to become a better friend. It said the person in a relationship who loves the least has the most power. Is-is that what happened? Did-did you stop, um, loving me as much?" Walter's voice trailed off in a whisper.

Paige's eyes flew up to meet his. He looked wounded. It made her hate herself a little. "No. No, Walter. I reacted vengefully, that's all. I justified it by convincing myself you were purposely sneaking around with Florence behind my back. You guys didn't hook up after we split up and seeing you interact with her today, after the edge of the pain and anger wore off, convinced me you never wanted her like that."

"I did try to tell you…"

"I was feeling too betrayed and hurt to listen. Again, I'm sorry. And I never should've encouraged you to lie. Lies are poison in a relationship. I might wish you'd use more tact, but I really need honesty. I may not always want it, but that's what I need. Do you understand? Now, which one of us sucks at relationship stuff?" Paige replied.

"Does this mean you'd like to try to, um, be w-with me… again? If-if I promise to be honest and avoid being alone with Florence…"

He sounded so hopeful, it was killing her. But she was determined to be candid. "I don't think so."

"Oh. Okay. So-so we'll go back to being, um, sp-special friends then?" He swallowed and pasted on a fake smile before turning away as if to leave.

She caught him by the arm.

"Wait. Walter. Stop," Paige continued haltingly, unsure of how to relay what she needed to say, "I love you," she had to pause and take a shaky breath, "I _do_. I just don't want to go back to the way it was. Before. I-I mean, it was great. Don't get me wrong. But we were treading water. You never brought up having a future with me. We were together for nearly a year and you… you never even mentioned moving in together or anything. It felt like we were heading somewhere the night you and Ralph fixed the antennae. At least you hinted that we were a family. The three of us together. But that's it. You never said… you didn't… One of the reasons I'm so insecure, is because I've never been offered security. My mother… Well, you know her. Drew took off as soon as things got difficult. I would bring up getting married and he would always change the subject. He refused to discuss it. No one has ever offered me any kind of permanence so I'm always waiting for things to fall apart. I'm always poised to pick up and move on…"

Walter snorted and stalked off leaving Paige to look after him, deeply offended. She'd just poured out one of her deepest fears to him and he was walking away?

She watched as he yanked open a drawer in his bureau, grabbed something and marched back, stopping when he was nearly toe-to-toe with her. He picked up her slack hand and dropped a small, square velvet box onto her palm.

"Happy Anniversary," He said sarcastically, his lips compressed.

Her mouth dropped open as all the breath was knocked out of her. Her free hand went up to cover her open mouth as her eyes flooded.

When she stood there like a paralyzed fool, Walter took the box from her trembling hand and opened it revealing a gorgeous engagement ring winking and sparkling as if mocking her.

"In my defense, you never mentioned the future either. And I've never paid much attention to what's considered normal in relationships before. I've never really thought about it. The only relationships I've observed closely, the people were engaged before they moved in together. Happy and Toby. My parents. Sylvester and Megan. Even Cabe and Allie don't live together. Yet. I simply didn't consider cohabitation as an option. I didn't know how else to proceed. But I thought our one year anniversary would be a good time to bring up the possibility of marriage… I've always thought of you and Ralph as the family I wanted and didn't know I could ever have. I never saw us going any other way."

Before Walter could explain further, Paige's arms were around him and her lips were on his, stealing his breath.

When they finally came up for air, her eyes shining, she exclaimed, "Yes! The answer is yes!"

It was his turn to kiss her senseless.

Ralph cracked open one eye and an enormous grin spread across his young, smugly satisfied face.

 **AN2: There will be one more chapter - an epilogue so sweet it'll cause diabetes. Please don't sue the author.**

 **It's already half written, so it should be up the first part of next week.**


	11. Epilogue

NO EYE IN CYCLONE

 **AN: Here's the last installment as promised.**

 **oxoxoxoxoxo**

He paused briefly just outside the kitchen door.

This was his absolute favorite part of coming home and he quickly reminded himself to pay close attention. Walter promised himself long ago he'd never take any of it for granted again.

"What's the hold up?" Ralph asked from behind him, mildly curious.

Walter looked around and grinned at his brilliant son before turning the knob and stepping inside.

"Hello, My Sweet." He greeted Paige then touched his lips to hers, relishing her kiss for an extra lingering second.

"Da-deeee!" Their beautiful fourteen month-old daughter squealed and bounced up and down on her diapered bottom in the seat of her highchair when she saw him, impatiently waiting for him to acknowledge her.

"Well, hello to you too," he chuckled, "What have you got there?"

She waved a chubby fist in the air, clutching a bite of her lunch so she could show him. "NAN-NUHS!"

In her enthusiasm, she squeezed and her favorite yellow fruit squished between her stubby fingers.

"Da-dee have it! Bite?" She held it out to him.

He wrinkled his nose at his amused wife, took the baby's moderately cleaner wrist and kissed the back of her dimpled hand pretending to eat the mush she offered him while she filled the air with high-pitched, delighted giggles.

"Will you look at that?" Ralph mused, coming up behind his dad. "She has her favorite brother's good looks and her father's table manners." He kissed the top of his sister's head. It was currently the only clean spot he could find.

"Raff!" She responded and offered the same bite to her brother.

"No, thanks, Squirtus Maximus. I'll pass."

She promptly dropped the solid part of the bite on the floor, and swiped a pudgy arm across her tray, smearing what was left and leaving a gooey streak.

"No, Lydia. Don't throw your food." Paige shook her head at her daughter then addressed her boys. "I guess she's finished," She shrugged, her eyes twinkling.

Walter lifted the squirmy little girl from her chair, allowing her to splotch his cheek with mashed-up banana when she cheerfully patted his face. He took her to the sink to clean them both up.

Paige began wiping up the mess on the highchair's tray. "So, how'd it go at the Science Fair? Did your entry get first place again this year?"

Ralph caught his dad's eye and shook his head at his mom's foolish question. "Normals. I mean, duh."

"Duh," Lydia repeated, while trying to do a backbend in an attempt to escape the washcloth her father was applying to her sticky face.

Ralph laughed while his mother gave him a stern look. "It's not funny. You have to watch it. She absorbs everything we say. Like a little sponge."

"Spun-ge!" Came the appropriate illustration to her mother's point even though the small voice was slightly muffled by a busy washrag.

"Are you a sponge?" Walter made a silly face at his daughter, who gave him a drool-y grin back. "Are you my little Porifera?"

"Rif-rah." Lydia nodded and patted herself on the head, dotting residual banana on her dark, curly hair.

"You're just as bad, mister," Paige scolded her husband, but her tone was teasing and there was a smile in her eyes.

Walter grinned back. Still holding the baby, he strolled over to his wife. Leaning in slightly, he stage whispered, "You'll have to wait for next weekend to find out exactly how bad I can be." He threw in an impertinent wink for good measure before kissing her temple.

She playfully shoved his shoulder. "That's only if you're _good_ until then," she countered.

Ralph grabbed an apple from the basket on the table. "Ugh. Cut it out, you two. There's only so much flirting and lovey-dovey cra... , uh, _garbage_ I can handle on an empty stomach."

"You're a teenage boy. Your stomach is always empty." Walter, as usual, was quick to point out the facts as he wended his way out of the kitchen.

"Hey, don't forget you're the one who wanted us together. And next week is our three year anniversary. Dad booked us this gorgeous beach house." Paige said, sounding a tad giddy at the prospect. "Barring any major disasters at work..."

"What I love is how you guys have temporarily disposed of your offspring…" Ralph interrupted as he rummaged through the refrigerator.

"You'll both have a great time being spoiled by Cabe and Allie…"

"I'm crashing with Florence and Sylvester this time. Too many little kids at Toby and Happy's. I mean, once they adopted one kid, it was like Pringle's. They couldn't stop. And I can't handle the lack of tech at the grandparents' house for three whole days…"

Walter couldn't make out the rest of their banter as he walked down the hall and into Lydia's room. The warm weight of his little girl's head was already resting against his shoulder and her eyelids were drooping.

A rocking chair crouched, poised and ready, in one corner and he immediately obeyed its beckoning, sliding onto the seat and positioning his daughter's head in the crook of one arm so she could lay across his lap. That way she could be comfortable and he had the best view of her small, upturned face.

Her existence never ceased to amaze him. Her complete trust humbled him.

And Walter O'Brien nearly missed out on such powerful love.

He vowed once again to never let himself forget how close they came to losing all of this, to never having this experience at all.

Sure, life wasn't always calm or easy or smooth, but it was so much sweeter than any alternative could've been.

So he swayed back and forth, lulling the toddler to sleep. And in a soft, soothing voice, he told her the same story he'd told her almost daily since she arrived in the world.

"It hasn't always been like this. Our family wasn't a family at all, once. It all started the day I met your brother in a diner…"


End file.
